KAREN M HUGGINS - GRAPHIC DESIGNERS

SOCIAL MEDIA TIPS

We all use social media, albeit for pictures of our children, pets; what we are about to scoff down for dinner. But for organizations, social media has quite the higher power. Companies use these platforms to reduce overall marketing costs, generate leads, website traffic and develop relationships with customers and clients. I wont proclaim to be a social media expert but like to think I have gained some knowledge along the way.

Being all about me me me

Are you always posting about your products, your service or just pushing advertising at your customers? While there is a place on social media for advertising, customers like to be engaged when using social media. How do I do this you ask?  Below are the top 5 ways to fix a neglected social media site.

ONE - Encourage customers to be social – wherever possible plug your social media, whether through a link online or just simple icons on print material. Have a note asking customers to connect and share their experience with you. Allowing public feedback shows your customer confidence in your product / service and gives future customers assurance in using your company.

TWO - Embrace Complaints - Do not fear customer complaints embrace them. If you never ask your customers how you can improve? You will never know if your customers are unsatisfied. Don’t let public complaints go unnoticed or un-answered, always respond in a courteous manner. Apologize for any inconvenience and ask the customer to send you there contact details privately so you can resolve the issue. Always move the conversation to private messaging, email or the telephone to remove the issue away from the public eye.

THREE - Timing is Everything – Your customer is happiest as they receive their order. Stuff a promotional piece in with the packaging asking the customer to share their experience on one of your social media websites.

FOUR - Make it personal – Ask customers to name and fame an employee who was of great service to them. This one makes everyone feel good and is great to point out examples of positive customer service experiences.

FIVE - Questions, Questions, Questions - It can be frustrating when you try and engage customers for public customer experience and it’s all done behind the scenes. Don’t fret use these private questions as posts. Is there a question your sales are frequently asked acknowledge this on social media, your future customers will thank you that you had this information readily available.

Be well thought out

Send Time, Personalization, Segmentation, Testing, Order of messages, Social Collaboration. The two main email strategies to gain the most engagement from a recipient are: Personalization & Segmentation.

BE SMART

Use the SMART rule (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely). The SMART rule helps you maintain goals throughout your social media campaigns.

DO RESEARCH

Before signing up to every social media platform available, do your research of which ones work for you. Search within the sites for your company name and competitor names and learn from the discussions at hand.

BE LOUD

Speak up on industry related sites. Join discussion groups, answer questions in forums.

CONNECT

Build connections and content through industries similar to yours. Network with professionals in your field, Share valuable insights with them and attend industry events.

LEARN

Learn from your mistakes and gain from your achievements – Analyze results from all actions on social media to learn what works and what doesn’t. Test new ideas and experiment.

Customers want to know who you are. Post personal posts that show the fun side of your company, employee photographs, company days out, competitions, behind the scenes of how it’s made. This goes back to tip number 2 of being human, show your customer your friendly work environment.

SHOW YOUR WILD SIDE

Know your target market

Best questions to ask yourself before posting blindly. . .

  • Who are my current customers?

  • Why do they buy from you?

  • What common industry or interests are they connected to?

  • Which customer base bring in the most business?

  • Who are my competitors targeting?

  • Is there something you can do to set yourself apart from competitors?

You can pour money, time and all the fancy graphics into social media but if you aren’t reaching anyone who is interested in buying its all for nothing.

Understanding your customer’s needs and wants is they key ingredient to reaching your target market.

The power of the #

Again not just for teenagers or a cute way of emphasizing something only personal to you. The Hash tag has become unique way to categorize messages. On any given day there are at least 10 hash tags at your disposal to use on social media. Now the key here is just because today the most popular hash tag is #harrypotter if it doesn’t relate to your post don’t use it! You will not attract relevant customers. Now that’s not to say companies cant use fun hash tags just make sure its relevant to your message. Try using maptrends for specific location targeting.